Hiking in Sapa, Vietnam: an easy descent from the hill town into Muong Hoa valley, where time has stood still
- Northern region that’s home to several hill tribes has become a tourism hot spot – escape the crowds on a leisurely half-day hike through rice terraces
- Make the most of a trip to Sapa by staying overnight, perhaps in a village homestay, rather than rushing back to Hanoi, or join a multi-day tour
As our guide leads our small group down a dirt path by the main road, I am sceptical about what awaits us on this hike in Sapa, Vietnam.
We are only half an hour from the town centre and the path seems to be leading us through a farm. But with each turn we take on our descent into the Muong Hoa Valley, the scepticism melts away into awe at the expanse of rice paddies stretching across the valley before us.
Sapa has long been a home to hill tribes, notably the Hmong, Dao, Tay, and Giay. The region remained off the radar until the French came in 1880. After the Vietnam war, and a 1979 border war with China, Sapa was opened to visitors in the 1990s and has since become a hot spot for tourism, with its terraced rice fields and ethnic-minority villages. Its cooler climate makes it an excellent place for hiking.
I have joined a two-day tour from Hanoi that includes a trek on the afternoon of the first day. Trails of various widths, and the occasional metalled road, lead off the main road into Sapa from Lao Cai. These connect with villages in the valley.
